By Barry Whelan, dpa
Berlin (dpa) – Bayern Munich left the door to the Bundesliga title slightly ajar after being held to a 1-1 draw by visiting Moenchengladbach on Saturday.
Thomas Mueller’s sixth-minute header from a corner was cancelled out by Andre Hahn in the 72nd minute, while Borussia Dortmund kept the pressure on with a 5-1 rout of visiting Wolfsburg including two goals from substitute Pierre-Emerick Aubamayeng.
The results cut Bayern’s lead to five points with two matches remaining as they seek a Bundesliga record fourth straight title and a 26th German league title.
Bayer Leverkusen meanwhile made sure of third place and direct Champions League qualification with a 2-1 defeat of visiting Hertha Berlin, who drop out of the Champions League places.
Julian Brandt in the second minute and Lars Bender in the 16th put Leverkusen ahead, with Vedad Ibisevic heading in for Hertha in the 21st.
Elsewhere, Eintracht Frankfurt gave themselves a lifeline against relegation with a 2-1 win at Darmstadt, who stay in danger; Hoffenheim boosted their hopes of staying up after coming from behind to beat visiting Ingolstadt 2-1; Schalke moved sixth with a 3-1 win at relegated Hanover; and Mainz slipped to seventh in a goalless home draw with SV Hamburg.
Bayern were hoping to seal the title before home fans at the Allianz Arena, but Pep Guardiola, in his 100th Bundesliga match, was left to wait for a possible third league title in three years at Bayern before he leaves the club at the end of the season for Manchester City.
Bayern now travel next Saturday to fellow Bavarians Ingolstadt hoping to to secure the title in a match which will come after Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final second leg at home to Atletico Madrid.
«Of course, we wanted to win today for our fans,» Guardiola said.
«We still need a point, a draw or a win for the championship. But now it’s time to concentrate on Atletico Madrid. On Tuesday it will be a different game. We have to play better.»
Guardiola made eight changes from the side that lost 1-0 to Atletico in Wednesday’s first leg, and had Jerome Boateng back in central defence following a three-month injury lay-off.
Bayern got the perfect start with a sixth-minute Mueller header from a corner, but Hahn just escaped offside to level for Gladbach, who beat Bayern 3-1 at home earlier in the season.
In Dortmund, captain Mats Hummels earned whistles from home fans whenever on the ball following his request this week to leave for Bayern Munich. But there was plenty to cheer when Shinji Kagawa rifled an opener in the seventh minute and provided the pass two minutes later for Adrian Ramos to find the net.
Marco Reus finished on the hour for the third and Aubameyang came off the bench in the 69th minute to head two goals in the 77th and 78th minutes before Andre Schuerrle netted a late consolation for the Wolves.
Schalke earned Europa League qualification, ending a four-match winless series with a 3-1 win at relegated Hanover, courtesy of goals by Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Alessandro Schoepf.
Frankfurt move to third last on 33 points, level with VfB Stuttgart and two ahead of Werder Bremen, who host Stuttgart on Monday.
Darmstadt are on 35, and Hoffenheim and Augsburg, who drew 0-0 with Cologne Friday, on 37.
